Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees
Carpenter Bee Identification
Signs of Infestation of Carpenter Bees
Recommended Measures for Carpenter Bee Control
Carpenter bees get their common name from their habit of boring into wood to make galleries for the rearing of young. These are worldwide in distribution with 7 species occurring in the United States. They don't have a hive as honey bees, but are solitary bees.The female Carpenter bee can get into small areas,boring holes.
They are perfectly round, about 3/8 " in diameter.
The female carpenter bee will bore a channel or main corridor in the
wood from 6 " to as long as 4 feet to lay their eggs in "galleries".
She will deposit an egg, bring in a mass of pollen for the newly hatched
larvae to feed on, and then seal it all off to ensure it's development
before she repeats the process for the next egg.
Although, they are a wood boring insect, they are not considered a
true structural pest. They do not spread through out the entire structure,
but prefer unpainted or finished wood.
CARPENTER BEE IDENTIFICATION

Picture courtesy : Kansas State
University Research and Extension
Adult body length is about 1/2 to1 inch (12.5 to 25 mm). They are
robust, resembling bumble bees, but larger, with the top surface of
abdomen mostly bare and shiny.
The male has a yellow face. The female's is black.
They can resemble bumble bees, but the upper surface of their abdomen is bare and shiny black, while bumble bees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow markings.
Bumble bees don't nest in the wood, but rather on the ground.

SIGNS OF CARPENTER BEE INFESTATIONS
Carpenter bees get their name from their ability to drill through wood and nest in it. Their drilling will create a nearly perfect hole approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. You will see round holes and a coarse sawdust-like substance called
frass underneath the holes. The holes are perfectly round and are about
3/8 inch in diameter. You may find old holes near the newer ones. Old
nests can be used year after year by the carpenter bee. Their holes
are usually located on the underside of any wood surface including siding,
soffits, overhangs, decks, fence posts, fascia boards and window frames.
HABITS
During the spring, the males seek out the females, hovering around females that found some unfinished wood, such as under eaves, railings, etc.
The males are territorial and will confront you if you enter their territory, but
they are incapable of stinging. Females have a stinger, but are very docile.
Females will nest in a all types of wood, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood.
Male carpenter bees tend to be territorial and can buzz around you if you approach closely,
sometimes hovering a short distance in front of your face or buzzing around your
head. Since males have no stinger, these actions are just
for show and intimidation.
The female bee can squeeze through incredibly tiny places to bore into untreated wood.
RECOMMENDED MEASURES OF CONTROL
Prevention and Current Infestations
Prevention is the operative word. In
the early spring, before the carpenter bees can begin to bore into the
wood an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Treatment is usually best done before nesting activity gets started.
Nesting and the rearing of young carpenter bees occur in the late spring
or early summer . Treat when the bees are seen early in the spring.
for best results. Treat with the residual insecticides shown below.
If you have a current infestation , you
may not only want to spray with a residual insecticide or aerosol as seen in the table below, but dust a
residual dust such as
Delta Dust in all the new openings.
How to use the Carpenter Bee Kits
1. Spray the areas where they are boring in any unpainted
or unvarnished wood. Sometimes they may be boring in painted or varnished
wood. Their holes
are usually located on the underside of any wood surface including siding,
soffits, overhangs, decks, fence posts, fascia boards and window frames. We recommend spraying during the spring twice at intervals of 3-4 weeks.
Carpenter bees like
the WP (wettable powder formulations) such as Demon
WP, Cyper WP , but will leave a film residue visible on medium to dark wood,
in that case use Cyonara 9.7that will dry clear.
For severe infestations of carpenter bees on cedar and log structures,
you may need to repeat the treatments more than twice.. We suggest a interval of two
weeks .After each spray treatment , apply Delta Dust or Drione Dust
to all possible carpenter bee holes or entry points.
Demon WP, Cyper WP(wettable powder, and Cyonara 9.7 will last 2
to 3 months, leaving a residual for that long, taking it through most
of their season. Cynoff EC(emulsifiable concentrate) , Viper and Demon EC have a four week residue.
2. If you have a current infestation, dust as many carpenter bee holes as possible. Fill the duster 1/2 with dust and dust into the openings.Although their holes appear to be only an inch or two deep, it usually extends at a 90 degree angle. The female will turn 90 degrees and bore a channel from 6 inches to as long as 4 feet. This channel serves as a main corridor from which she will drill small chambers a few inches deep. These chambers become egg holders. She will deposit an egg, bring in some food, and then seal it off to ensure the egg's development.
It may be difficult to treat each individual gallery with a dust
, aerosol or liquid residual insecticide, as you can see by the
carpenter gallery picture, but is important if you have a current infestation.
3. You can plug up the entrances with 1/2"cork , putty or
caulking compound after all the bees are killed.
A safe time to plug entrances would be in the early fall months.
If you plug up the entrances too early, you would not allow the carpenter
bees to pass thru the insecticide dust to pass freely and they may chew
new openings in other locations.
You can kill the hovering males with a contact aerosol such as: CB 80 Pyrethrin Aerosol.
The only reason for killing the males is their nuisance factor, since they can't sting.
Using a pump garden type of sprayer like:
Chapin
one gallon pump sprayer or
Chapin two gallon pump sprayer can spray 10-15 feet to reach any hard
to reach areas.
Or you can use a
Gilmour
hose end sprayers if you are using the non wettable powder (wp)
formulations such as Cyonara 9.7 Insecticide. The WP formulations will
clog up the hose end sprayers, and you would need the pump type of sprayer
such as the Chapin Pump Sprayers.
If you are using liquid residual insecticides such Cyonara 9.7 Insecticide , you
will have a run-off of liquid if using a hose end sprayer.
Demon WP, Cyper WP, or Cyonara 9.7 would work
in any garden type pump sprayer.
The following year, by all means, spray early to prevent further
boring.